Monday, 11 August 2014

Indian missiles, sent for tests in Israel, languish in South Korea due to Gaza conflict

A mock-up of the anti-ship missile buster, LR-SAM, also referred to as the Barak 8

By Ajai Shukla

New Delhi

The eponymously
named Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LR-SAM), being co-developed by the
Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), is
already two years late. Now, because of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, the delay
will get longer.

Business
Standard has learnt that four LR-SAM rocket motors, built in India and
despatched to Tel Aviv for trials, have been lying in Seoul, South Korea, for close
to one month.

The DRDO
confirms that the rockets, filled with highly combustible propellant, were despatched
on a commercial airline, Korean Air, for trials in Israel. After the rocket
motors reached Seoul --- Korean Air’s global hub, from where they were to be routed
onwards to Tel Aviv --- the launch of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on July 8
caused Korean Air to cancel all flights to Tel Aviv. Fighting intensified after
Israeli ground forces invaded Gaza on July 17.

Consequently,
a crucial and secret sub-system of the world’s most advanced anti-missile
defence system has been languishing in a Korean Air warehouse in Seoul.

The LR-SAM’s
rocket motor and propellant, along with its rear section, fall in India’s work
share in the joint DRDO-IAI project. This crucial component, built by
Hyderabad-based Premier Explosives Ltd, will be integrated in Israel with the
IAI-built front section, and then tested at an Israeli range.

DRDO chief,
Dr Avinash Chander, told Business Standard that it was not unusual to despatch
missiles as commercial cargo, or through shipping agents.

“We didn’t think
it necessary to sent the rocket motors on an Indian Air Force (IAF) flight. But
now we may do a rethink and use an IAF aircraft. We are monitoring the
situation,” said Chander.

This is
only the latest delay in the LR-SAM, which began co-development in 2006 and was
to be ready by 2012 to protect a new generation of Indian warships from sea-skimming,
anti-ship missiles at ranges out to 70 kilometres. First there was delay due to
Israel’s preoccupation with its “Iron Dome” missile shield; intended to intercept
rockets fired at Israel from Gaza. Now, even after international flights to
Israel resume, uncertainty hangs over the tests.

The LR-SAM is
one of the navy’s most worrying operational vulnerabilities. On Aug 16, when Prime
Minister Narendra Modi commissions INS Kolkata in Mumbai, the navy’s most vaunted
destroyer will have empty canisters where the LR-SAMs are to be housed.

This will
also be true of INS Kochi and INS Chennai, the second and third vessels of the
Kolkata-class, which are expected within a year. Similarly, the aircraft
carrier, INS Vikramaditya, which was delivered by Russia last year, also awaits
the LR-SAM.

All these
warships have been fitted with the radar and canisters that are a part of the
LR-SAM system. The development of the missile has faced glitches, but will be
delivered by end-2015, predicts the DRDO chief.

“These
rocket motors are going to Israel for full homing trials, at shorter ranges.
After that, the missile will be fired from actual naval warships,” says
Chander.

This is not
the first missile fiasco in South Korea. India Today reports this week that a
Pragati surface-to-surface missile that was sent for display to South Korea’s
Aerospace and Defence Exhibition (ADEX-2013) last October, lay unguarded at a
South Korean port for nearly a month after missing its ship back to India.

12 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Avinash chander should resign if he has any iota of shame left in him. Pathetic and unprofessional to the core. If the head of DRDO is like this rest under him need not even think about it. What an irresponsible guy.

Why would any one route a consignment from India to Tel Aviv via Seoul? That increases the aerial distance 2 to 3 times. Thats like Air India routing a consignment from New York to London via New Delhi because its based here! Why would anyone use such a service? I am sure DRDO paid good money for such premium service unless the Chinese paid for the sweet Seoul pit stop.

Barak 8 is already in operation (last two years!) and fitted at Israeli Saar class corvettes. What is the actual problem? We have paid money (300 Million in one estimate) for the research and the missiles are fitted in Israeli ships! Secondly there is no use of accusing DRDO. We all know how DRDO. Works! But still it is my personal belief that DRDO. is better in missile research than other areas. This division should be separated from DRDO. to a independent autonomous organization like ISRO. We are buying almost all the military hardware. So why can't we buy Barak 8? At-least till our own so called LR-SAM is operational?

The missile technology is developed with Indian money and give it for free to Korean or other countries and then import with big dollars. What a way to go India and Indian scientist. Keep it up good work. This shows why India is under development for decades.